It's been a quiet transfer window for Cambridge United so far and it doesn’t look like it’s set to heat up ahead of today's 5pm deadline.

Pretty early on in the window, due to the club’s financial position, it became pretty clear that there wasn’t going to be any whole scale changes at the Abbey, while the squad size also had to be cut.

Instead, head coach Joe Dunne, head of football Ben Strang and the rest of the recruitment staff have opted for consolidation and continuity – bringing in George Taft at centre-back, Louis John as defensive cover, Reggie Lambe and Barry Corr on a short-term deal.

And we’ve had a look at the ins and outs at United during the off-season – and what is expected to happen on the final day.

The Outs

There wasn’t really any surprises in the retained list when it was published by the club. The first reason was because the two most high-profile departures – Leon Legge and Piero Mingoia – were confirmed before it was released.

Uche Ikpeazu’s move to Hearts, meanwhile, was announced in April, with last season’s top scorer agreeing a pre-contract deal with the Scottish Premier League side.

Midfielder Medy Elito was another victim of the squad size being reduced.

All the former U’s players have found new clubs, with Legge having to settle for a place on the bench for his new club Port Vale during their 3-0 win over the United at the weekend, while Mingoia has returned to League One Accrington Stanley.

Elito has dropped down to National League outfit Barnet.

The Ins

John was the first to put pen-to-paper, joining on a free from National League side Sutton United to offer the U’s defensive cover. The back-line was further bolstered by the arrival of Taft for the fourth time, with the 25-year-old agreeing a two-year deal.

Again, the theory was continuity with Taft and his centre-back partner Greg Taylor striking up a fruitful partnership at the end of last season.

The final addition was Lambe. The Bermuda captain arrived out of the blue after Dunne said he was searching for a “dynamic forward.”

Lambe, who had a difficult first competitive outing for the U’s, scored two goals in pre-season and can play on either wing or behind the striker.

The maybes

Speculation regarding where George Maris would be playing his football started in May. The Sun linked the midfielder – who had a fantastic end to the season under Dunne – to Sheffield United, Barnsley and Burton Albion, although nothing ever materialised from the rumours.

It did seem as though he had left the club last week, with Championship side Rotherham his intended destination.

However, despite reportedly having a medical, the move fell through. Maris went on to play the full 90 minutes against Port Vale just two days later.

Curiously, the U’s were also linked with Bristol City winger Jonny Smith. The 21-year-old has since joined the U’s League Two rivals Tranmere Rovers.

Billy Waters was another name that floated around for a while, having spent the back end of last season on loan.

The Northampton Town striker, who failed to score for Northampton after making the step up to League One, also had a bid accepted for him from Port Vale, but the move never materialised. The News understands that United were never interested in the player.

What’s next?

After Saturday’s defeat to Port Vale, fans were concerned about the U’s forward options. While Ade Azeez has been prolific in pre-season, he still hasn’t found the net in a competitive game for the club, while the team as a whole seemed to lack a focal point without Jabo Ibehre, who was injured, and Barry Corr, who came on as a second-half substitute.

And while both have their injury concerns, Dunne said that it was unlikely anyone else would come in after the Newmarket Town game in pre-season, adding: “We are what we are, we have what we have,”

The situation was nearly different as, if Maris did depart for South Yorkshire, the club already had at least one target lined up to come in, if not more.

The Rotherham deal now appears to be totally off, meaning that the U’s activity in the market – both in terms of incomings and outgoings – could be finished.

And what about loan players?

While the transfer market closes tomorrow evening, the loan market between EFL clubs does not. However, we understand that United are not interested in going into the loan market, which has produced mixed results recently, this season.

Instead, Dunne plans to supplement the first team with academy players, many of whom impressed during the pre-season. Against Port Vale, Tom Knowles and Harry Darling were the academy graduates on the bench, while Leon Davies started at full-back.